Bloomington protesters rally against billionaires, Trump policies on Labor Day

At noon on Monday, under clear sunny skies with a temperature around 75F°, an estimated 300 people gathered on the historic Monroe County courthouse lawn for the Bloomington edition of the “Workers Over Billionaires” protest organized by the local chapter of the 50501 Movement.

The event included a march, a diaper and formula drive for the Tandem Community Birth Center and Postpartum House, a voter registration table, and a protest sign-making booth. The demonstration featured speeches from community members, faith leaders, university faculty, and political candidates. Speakers addressed a range of grievances related to the Trump administration and Indiana University.

Among the grievances aired by speakers wer: reductions to Medicaid; dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs; legislative attempts to reduce collective bargaining rights; legislative changes that make it easier to fire university faculty for political reasons; immigrants and marginalized communities; and a general concern about the concentration of wealth and power among billionaires at the expense of working people.

Rob Stone, director of Medicare for All Indiana, talked about the impact of federal Medicaid cuts. Stone stated, “$1 trillion—that is the amount of money that Trump and his Congress have cut from Medicaid over the next 10 years.” He described hospital closures and job losses in Indiana and noted that Indiana ranks as the third worst state in the United States for maternal mortality.

Maria Bacur, representing the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Bloomington chapter, spoke about legislative changes affecting public higher education. Bacur said, “Our chapter stands together with our fellow teachers in public schools in Monroe County, as workers in public education, who dedicate our professional lives to making Indiana a place where education is valued as a public good.”

Joe Varga, professor of labor studies at Indiana University, gave the slogan on his T-shirt a mention, which said, “We are all Ben Robinson.” Varga said, “If you don’t know what happened to Ben Robinson, please look it up.”

Robinson is a professor of Germanic studies who was the first IU faculty member to be officially sanctioned under the recently passed SEA 202 intellectual diversity law. The IU Bloomington chapter of the AAUP issued its own finding about the merit of Robinson’s sanction, concluding that the action against Robinson violates college policy and as well as SEA 202 itself.

Varga also addressed the history and current state of the labor movement. Varga said, “American workers need a union. Indiana workers need a union. And Indiana University sure as hell needs a union.” He described the origins of Labor Day in the 1880s and the Pullman Strike of 1894. Varga stated, “There were people who died for what we have today, who died for the eight-hour day, who died for the five-day workweek, who died for the right to be recognized as a collective bargaining unit and as a union. And that fight continues today, and it is under assault.”

Varga also talked about the role of unions in opposing the kind of policies that Trump is enacting. Varga said, “The only thing that these capitalist bastard fascists understand is right here—right here,” holding up his fist. “That’s solidarity,” Varga said, adding “And sometimes you put a velvet glove on it, and sometimes you got to take the glove off and you got to hit back.”

Varga said “Let’s use the law, let’s use the courts wherever we can. But let’s remember the law is always on the side of the powerful, and sometimes you gotta take the frickin’ gloves off.”

Varga quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” But Vargao added, “It doesn’t bend on its own! We’ve got to be the gravity. We’ve gotta be the space that bends that time towards justice. And we do that collectively, and we do that in solidarity with each other.”